A Day Without Immigrants

Here's an interesting article about a protest out in Wisconsin. Many latinos gathered to protest anti-immigration legislation that will have a large impact on the current immigration system. Most shocking, the legislation could make anyone who is undocumented here in the U.S. a felon. It's quite a scary thought.

Buldozing over with democracy

The idea that the Bush administration cannot teach us that democracy cannot be forced on anyone is completely assanine. This is exactly what this administration has attempted to do: to shove democracy down the throats of nations who have not established themselves as democracies. I don't understand when the United States decided that it had the right to infringe on the sovereignty of other nations, by entering uncharted territories, and wiping anyone who disagreed with non-democratic ideas. Who was the United States to chastize communism during the 80s? While I don't agree with Communism myself, I do not think that the United States had the right to just go after any country which adopted a Communist stance on an issue. The mere idea that democracy could be forced on anyone is an oxymoron in itself, as democracy must be wanted by the people, not forced on them. One cannot pick up a cookie-cutter idea of what democracy is, and simply just stick it onto a country such as Iraq, expecting for everything to fall into place, and for the little cracks to fit together. This is not how things work, and I think that the mere idea of forcing democracy on someone else goes completely against every tenet of democracy.

aren't FAT' people the same as 'NORMAL' people???

hello

last week i was reading an article about how 'fat' people in the US are treated. its quite sad to read that 'fat' people are paid 30% less than 'normal looking' people. also, when big people enter clothing stores, they are usually treated rudely or given a cold shoulder. when research was done, store workers, usually women, said that they were nicer to a 'fat' woman if she was carring a diet coke instead of an ice cream because that shows that she was trying to loose weight.

so, this is a class for human rights... and ... don't i, a 'fat' person have equal human rights. dont i have the right to be paid the same amount as others, without facing discrimination - simply because i have a little more 'junk in my trunk'????

Is Democracy for Everyone?

In a recent WashingtonPost.com article, the editors debated the merits of promoting democracy abroad. A strong case was made in "The Case for Democracy" about the need for democracy in developing societies, like Iraq. What do you think?

Chilling Sign of a Lesson Not Learned

Amnesty attacks 'dire' Iraq Abuse following interviews with ex-inmates which showed that the lessons of Abu Ghraib jail scandal has clearly not been learned. This BBC article summarizes the Amnesty report that speaks out against the blantant disregard for basic human rights for the detaniees in the Iraqi prison.

U.S. Isolated in Opposing Plan for a New U.N. Rights Council

Interesting article...You have to wonder why the U.S. is against a new human rights council that would prevent countries such as Sudan and Zimbabwe from becoming members

Debate Begins over tighter immigration

I think that this article is relevent to some of the issues that we have been discussing in class. It deals with the changes in immigration law in response to 9/11. It is the first time Congress has debated on the subject since the 9/11 attacks. Now they are more concerned with national security when dealing with immigration law.

Seeking Refuge In Your Own Country

Hello everyone! I was watching ABC's Primetime last night and I got pulled into this episode on polygamy. I was so furious by the end that I knew I had to write about it.
The program spotlighted a polygamous sect that controls a city in Arizona called "Colorado City." The show was following up on a woman, Lauren Jessops, who escaped from the community over the summer. Despite warnings that her husband may take her to the desert and kill her upon returning, she returned anyway.
Colorado City is run by a prophet, Warren Jeffs, who is currently in hiding. Jeffs founded the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints. Jeffs' prophecy calls for a violent destruction and end to non-believers. Followers of Jeffs believe he is indeed a prophet and obey orders from him. Local police enforce the "rules" of the sect, which is how Lauren wound up in an institution, for disobeying her husband.
The culture is male-dominated, oppressive and in my view, just plain sick. Incest, child molestation, and domestic abuse run rampant. The women and children have no outlet or legal way out of the situation. An activist named Flora (who herself escaped from polygamy) works in secret with young women who wish to escape with their children. Flora is the woman who helped Lauren escape. Despite the harsh reality of these women's lives, a large number worship Warren Jeffs and embrace their way of life.
I was sickened and shocked while watching this program. I strongly feel that the women in this culture are victims of human rights violations. It is scary how religion can have such dominating and in some cases, life-threatening control over people. I really encourage you to read the story...

Unhappy annivesary

Happy 4 Year Anniversary to Guantanamo Bay! Click the link (or title of the post) to learn more about the the camp located in a small corner of Cuba that has become one of the most powerful symbols of America's War or Terror.

The Slippery Slope of Torture

A recent NYT's op-ed,by Anthony Lagouranis, "Tortured Logic", (see the URL attached with this post's title), once again brings a chilling reminder to Americans about the U.S., use of torture tactics in the "war against terror". Kudos to Mr. Lagouranis for being so brave to talk about his experiences with the use of torture tactics in Iraq.